A  VBiCCIItO  PRICE,  15  CENTS 


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K*^etle?ij0|lj^^^lIl9nojsrapl)S 
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PALMA  VECCHIO 


PART  62- 


'VOLUME  6 


3ateiianD<iuilti(Xompanii, 
42'C[()aunQi^trcrt 


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MASTERS    I  N    ART 


K*^trU|5^lui5tratEliiItoiioflrap6g 


Among  the  artists  to  be  considered  during  the  current,  1905, 
Volume  may  be  mentioned  Fra  Filippo  Lippi,  Sir  Henry  Rae- 
burn,  Jan  Steen,  Claude  Lorrain,  Andrea  Mantegna,  and  Char- 
din.  The  numbers  of  '  Masters  in  Art'  which  have  already 
appeared  in  1905  are  : 

Pakt6i,  JANUARY WATTS 

Hart  6z,  FEBRUARY  .        PALMA    VECCHIO 

PART     63,      THE     ISSUE     FOR 

WILI,  TREAT  OF 


NUMBERS   ISSUED   IN   PREVIOUS  VOLUMES 
OF  'MASTERS  IN   ART' 


Part 
Part 
Part 
Pari- 
Pari- 
Part 
Part 
Part 
Part 
Part 
Part 
Part 


VOL.   1. 

I.— VAN   DYCK 
2.— TITIAN 
3.— VELASQUEZ 
4.— HOLBEIN 
;.— BOTTICELLI 
6.— REMBRANDT 
7.— REYNOLDS 
8.— MILLET 
9.— GIO.   BELLINI 

10.— ^MURILLO 

II,— HALS 

iz.— RAPHAEL 

*Sculfiture 


Part  15 
Part  14 
Part  15. 
Part  16. 
Part  17, 
Part  18. 
Part  19 
Part  20. 
Part  2i, 
Part  22. 
Part  25 
Part  24 


VOL.  2. 

.—RUBENS 
—DA   VINCI 

—  DIJRER 

—  MICHELANGELO* 
— MICHELANGELOt 
—CO ROT 
— BURNE-JONES 
-PER   BORCH 
— DELLA    ROBBIA 
—DEL  SARTO 

—  GAINSBOROUGH 
— CORREGGIO 


VOL.  3. 


VOL.  4. 


Pa]<t  25 
Part  26 
Part  27 
Part  28 
Part  29 
Part  30 
Part  }i 
Part  52 
Part  jj 
Part  34 
Part  3; 
Part  36 


-PHIDIAS 

-PERUGINO 

-HOLBEIN? 

-TINTORETTO 

-P.  deHOOCH 

-NATTIER 

-PAUL  POTTER 

-GIOTTO 

-PRAXITELES 

-HOGARTH 

-TURNER 

-LUINI 

I  Drawings 


Part 
Part 
Part 
Part 
Part 
Part 
Part 
Part 
Part 
Part 
Part 
Pari- 


ROMNEY 

ERA    ANGELICO 

WATTEAU 

RAPHAEL* 
— DONATELLO 
—GERARD  DOU 
— CARPACCIO 
—  ROSA  BONHEUR 

GUIDO  RENI 

P.  deCHAVANNES 
— GIORGIONE 
— ROSSETTI 


VOL.  5. 


Part  49,  JANUARY 
Part  50,  FEBRUARY 
Part  51,  MARCH      . 
Part  52,  APRIL 
Part  53,  MAY 
Part  54,  JUNE 
Part  55,  JULY 
Part  56,  AUGUST   . 
Part  57,  SEPTEMBER 
Part  ;8,  OCTOBER 

Part  59,  NOVEMBER VERONESE 

Part  60,  DECEMBER. COPLEY 


FRA   BARTOLOMMEO 

GREUZE 

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LOTTO 

.     LANDSEER 

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MASTKRS   IIST   ART      PLATE   I 

Photograph  by  anderson 

[45] 


335740 


PALMA    VECCHIO 

ST.  BABIiAKA 

CIJL'ltCJI  OF  S.VXTA  JIAJtJA  FOKMOSA,  VKXJGE 


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MASTERS    IN   AHT      1»LATR  IV 

PHOTOGRAPH    BY   ANDERSON 


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PALM  A  VKCCHIO 

MADONXA  WITH  ST.  I>UCY  AND  ST.  GKOEGE 

CUUKGH  OF  SAN  STEFANO,  VICENZA 


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MASTEllS  IN   Aar      PLATE  VI 

PHOTOGRAPH    BV    HANFSTAENGL 

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PALMA  VECCHIO 

VIOI.AXTR 

lilPEBlAL  GALLEKT,  VJEXNA 


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*  3 


MASTEKS    IN  ART      PI.ATE  VIII 

PHOTOGRAPH  BY  BRAUN,  CLEMENT  &    CIE 

[5'J] 


PAI.MA  VECCHIO 

POKIKAIT  OKA  1,A1)V 

COLI.KGTIUN  OK  M.  ALPJIOKSE   UE  K(3Tn?i  ^H  I  LU,  PA  HIS 


^  e 

tC     o 


MASTEKS   IX    AKT      PIRATE  X 

PHOTOGRAPH  BY  BRAUN  CLEMENT  A  ClE 

[03] 


i>AI,MA  VECCHIO 

PIIKTKAIT  OF  A  POKT 

XATIOA'AL  GAIiLEKT,  I.OXnuN 


I'liHiHAir  til-  I'Ai.MA   \  i:i(;un)  i;y   mMSi;i.i'  minu  ii  i;  ai. 1.1:1:  \ 

This  portrait,  about  which  critics  arc  disagreed,  is  bclifve.l  by  nianv  to  be  the  paint- 
ing doscribt-d  by  Vasari  as  a  likeness  of  Palma  Vecchio  painted  by  hiniselt",  in 
wliich  he  is  "clothed  in  a  robe  of'camei's  hair,  with  locks  of  liair  hanging  about 
his  head."  Vasari  praise,  the  ♦'  living  glance  and  turning  of  the  eyes,"  as  well  as 
tlie  "grace,  dignity,  and  many  other  excellencies,"  which  make  this  portrait,  he 
says,  "the  best  of  all  the  master's  works."  Kor  opinions  rejr.irding  the  authen- 
ticity of  this  famous  p.iiul,  sec  page  24  of  the  present  number  of  tliis  Series. 

[.Ill 


MASTERS    IN     ART 


3lato|io  ]|alma 


CALLED 


^alma  Wtttf^io 


BORN   1480  (?   :    DIED   1528 
VENETIAN    SCHOOL 


OF  the  life  of  no  other  great  Itahan  artist  of  the  sixteenth  century  is  so 
Httle  known  as  of  that  of  the  popular  painter  Jacopo,  or  Jacomo, 
Palma,  called  Palma  Vecchio  (Pal-mah  Vek-kee-o),  signifying  Palma  the  old, 
or  elder,  to  distinguish  him  from  his  grandnephew  of  the  same  name,  also  a 
painter,  who,  in  his  turn,  w^as  known  as  Palma  Giovine,  Palma  the  young,  or 
younger.  The  family  name  was  Negreti,  and  in  documents  prior  to  15 12 
Palma  Vecchio  seems  to  have  signed  himself  Jacomo  de  Antonio  de  Negreti; 
after  that  date,  however,  his  signature  appears  as  Jacomo  Palma,  by  which 
name,  but  more  familiarly  as  Palma  Vecchio,  he  is  known  to  us. 

The  Venetians  claimed  Palma  Vecchio  as  a  native  of  their  city,  and  Vasari 
in  speaking  of  him  as  "the  Venetian  Palma"  seems  to  have  accepted  their 
claim.  But  recent  research  has  proved  that  Boschini,  as  well  as  the  anon- 
ymous writer  of  Venice  known  as  "The  Anonimo,"  was  correct  in  stating 
that  his  origin  was  Bergamask,  and  has  further  established  the  fact  recorded 
by  his  later  biographer,  Ridolfi,  that  his  birthplace  was  the  village  of  Serina, 
or  Serinalta,  in  the  Valley  of  the  Brembo,  not  many  miles  from  the  town  of 
Bergamo.  The  house  in  which  he  lived  in  his  youth  in  this  little  village  among 
the  hills  of  Lombardy  is  still  pointed  out  as  la  ca  del  pittur — the  house  of  the 
painter. 

The  date  of  Palma's  birth  is  not  certainly  known.  If  Vasari  is  to  be  be- 
lieved, he  was  born  in  the  year  1040,  for  according  to  that  writer  Palma  was 
forty-eight  when  he  died,  and  documentary  proof  exists  that  his  death  occurred 
in  the  year  1528. 

Although  the  first  actual  evidence  of  the  painter's  presence  in  Venice  is  his 
signature  in  15 10  as  a  witness  to  the  will  of  one  Sofia,  wife  of  Rocco  Dossena, 
and  presumably  a  Bergamask  lady  then  resident  in  Venice,  it  is  believed  that 
he  went  to  that  city  when  very  young,  and  that,  together  with  Titian  and  Gior- 

[65] 


24  MASTERS     I  N     ART 

gione,  he  there  entered  the  studio  of  Giovanni  BeUini,  whose  influence  is  per- 
ceptible in  some  of  his  earl\'  works.  But  whether  his  master  was  Bellini,  or 
whether  it  was  to  some  other  Hfteenth-centur)'  painter  that  he  owed  his  artistic 
training,  there  can  he  no  doubt  that  he  was  influenced  by  both  Titian  and 
Giorgione,  probably  his  seniors  by  only  a  few  years.  Another  painter  with 
whom  he  came  into  close  contact  in  Venice  was  his  countryman  Lorenzo 
Lotto,  whom  he  may  have  known  in  Bergamo,  and  who  was  both  influenced 
b)'  Palma,  and,  in  his  turn,  left  his  impression  upon  Palma's  work. 

There  is  evidence  that  Palma  paid  fretjuent  visits  to  his  native  place.  At 
Dossena  and  Peghera  —  both  in  the  Valley  of  the  Brembo  —  as  well  as  at  his 
native  Serina,  examples  of  his  work  may  still  be  seen.  With  the  exception  of 
these  short  journeys,  however,  he  seems  to  have  spent  the  remainder  of  his 
life  in  Venice,  busily  engaged  in  painting  altar-pieces,  Satite  Convtrsaziont,  or 
'Holy  Conversations' — as  those  pictures  are  called  in  which  groups  of  saints 
in  adoration  of  the  Madonna  and  Child  are  depicted  in  peaceful  landscapes  — 
and  in  portraying  the  features  of  the  men  and  women  of  well-known  families 
among  the  nobility  of  that  time  in  \"enice,  notabl)'  of  the  women,  of  whom 
Palma  may  be  said  to  be  the  painter  par  excellence,  and  whom  he  frequently 
idealized  by  representing  them  in  classic  costumes  under  such  titles  as  '  Lu- 
crezia,'  or  'Judith.' 

For  only  two  of  Palma's  paintings  do  we  possess  approximate  dates.  It  is 
known  that  in  1520  he  was  commissioned  by  Marin  Querini  to  paint  an  altar- 
piece  for  the  Church  of  Sant'  Antonio  in  Venice,  of  which  only  a  portion  has 
been  preserved  and  is  now  in  the  Giovanelli  Palace,  Venice;  and  that  in  1525 
he  agreed  to  paint  for  a  lady  of  the  Malipero  famil\-  an  altar-piece  represent- 
ing 'The  Adoration  of  the  Magi,'  to  decorate  the  island-church  of  Sant'  Elena. 
This  work,  now  in  the  Brera  Gallery,  Milan,  was  left  unfinished  at  his  death 
and  was  completed  by  a  pupil — probably  Cariani. 

On  July  28,  1528,  Palma  made  his  will.  As  he  was  unmarried  the  greater 
part  of  his  fortune  was  be(|ueathed  to  two  nephews  and  a  niece,  the  children 
of  his  brother  Bartolommeo,  who  had  died  four  )ears  previousl)-.  I'wenty 
ducats  were  to  be  distributed  among  his  poor  relatives  in  the  territory  of  Ber- 
gamo and  in  Venice,  and,  by  the  painter's  desire,  prayers  were  to  be  said  for 
his  soul  in  the  Sanctuary  of  Assisi.  The  witnesses  to  this  will  were  three  coun- 
trymen of  Palma's  —  Marcus  Bayeto,  a  wine-seller,  Zuan  da  Sant'  Angelo,  a 
fruiterer,  and  Fantin  di  Girardo,  a  dyer.  From  the  manner  in  which  the 
painter  speaks  of  himself  in  this  document  it  has  been  surmised  that  for  some 
time  he  had  been  in  feeble  health ;  whether  this  was  so,  or  whether  his  last  sick- 
ness was  of  short  duration,  it  is  recordcil  that  he  died  onl\-  two  days  after  sign- 
ing his  will,  leaving  in  his  studio  over  forty  pictures  to  be  finished  bv  his  pupils. 
He  was  buried  in  the  vault  of  the  Confraternity  of  the  Holv  Spirit,  of  which 
he  had  been  a  member,  in  the  Church  of  San  Gregorio,  Venice. 

Of  Palma  Vecchio's  personal  appeal  a lue  we  have  conflicting  e\iclence  in 
the  two  portraits  of  him  published  in  dittVrent  earl\-  editions  of  N'asari's  *  Lives 
of  the  Painters,'  and  in  the  portrait  reproduced  on  page  22  of  the  present  num- 
ber of  this  Si'Riis,  which  is  totally  unlike  either  of  the  others.    In  regard  to 

Kit;  I 


PALMA     VECCHIO  25 

the  Vasari  portraits,  however,  there  is  insufficient  ground  for  hehef  in  their 
authenticity  as  likenesses  of  Palma.  As  to  the  last-named  work,  critics  are  not 
agreed.  Formerly  held  to  be  a  portrait  of  Giorgione  by  himself,  Dr.  Miindler 
has  identified  it  with  the  picture  of  Palma  Vecchio  described  by  Vasari  as 
"without  doubt  the  portrait  of  the  artist,  which  he  took  with  the  assistance  of 
a  mirror,"  and  which  is  highly  praised  by  this  same  writer.  Morelli,  however, 
although  admitting  that  the  broad  drawing  and  modeling  point  to  the  author- 
ship of  Palma  more  than  to  that  of  any  other  Venetian,  considers  the  pose  of 
the  head  and  the  almost  defiant  expression  of  the  features  to  be  out  of  character 
for  such  a  simple  and  unassuming  painter  as  Palma,  a  theory  which  he  fails  to 
strengthen  by  the  statement  that  "no  man  who  like  Palma  selected  as  execu- 
tors of  his  will  a  wine-seller  and  a  fruiterer  would  ever  have  borne  himself  so 
haughtily  as  this  young  man."  By  this  critic  the  portrait  is  attributed,  though 
not,  be  it  said,  without  hesitation,  to  Palma's  contemporary  Cariani,  an  attri- 
bution in  which  Air.  Berenson  concurs;  but  by  the  authorities  of  the  Munich 
Gallery,  where  the  picture  now  hangs,  it  is  unquestioningly  assigned  to  Palma 
Vecchio,  and  listed  in  the  latest  official  catalogue  as  a  portrait  of  that  painter. 
This  attribution  is  accepted  by  Crowe  and  Cavalcaselle,  Charles  Blanc,  Dr. 
von  Reber,  Signor  Pasino  Locatelli  of  Bergamo,  and  others. 


C!)e  art  of  ^alma  ¥^eccf)io 

THE  position  occupied  by  Palma  Vecchio  in  the  history  of  the  develop- 
ment of  Venetian  painting  is  a  subject  of  controversy  among  critics. 
Crowe  and  Cavalcaselle  hold  the  opinion  that  he  was  a  pioneer  who  "shared 
with  Giorgione  and  Titian  the  honor  of  modernizing  and  regenerating  Vene- 
tian art,"  and  that  "from  the  borders  of  Piedmont  on  the  west  to  the  Gulf  of 
Trieste  on  the  east  there  was  not  a  city  of  any  pretensions  that  did  not  feel 
the  influence  of  Palmesque  art,"  whereas  Morelli,  while  acknowledging  that 
"Palma  was  the  most  justly  celebrated  of  all  the  Bergamask  artists,"  main- 
tains that  he  was  a  follower  rather  than  an  initiator. 

The  theory  of  Crowe  and  Cavalcaselle  regarding  this  painter,  about  whom 
so  little  is  definitely  known,  seems  to  be  based  mainly  upon  the  inscription 
on  a  picture — a  'Holy  Conversation' — formerly  in  a  private  collection  in 
Paris  and  now  in  the  Conde  Museum,  Chantilly,  which  bears  the  artist's  name 
and  the  letters  "M  D"  (1500)  —  a  date  which  in  their  opinion  proves  that 
Palma's  art,  even  at  that  early  period,  had  taken  an  expanded  form,  and  that 
his  position  as  a  master  was  then  assured.  This  date,  however,  is  believed  by 
Morelli,  and  by  all  modern  critics,  to  be  a  late  forgery.  If  this  be  so,  Palma 
has  been  accorded  by  Crowe  and  Cavalcaselle  and  their  adherents  too  impor- 
tant a  place  in  the  development  of  Venetian  painting;  if,  on  the  other  hand, 
the  date  be  authentic,  then  Crowe  and  Cavalcaselle  may  be  right  in  claiming 
for  him  the  position  of  a  leader,  an  originator,  "marching,"  as  Sir  Walter 

[67] 


26  MASTERS     1  N     ART 

Armstrong  has  said,  "shoulder  to  shoulder  with  Giorgione  in  the  sudden  ex- 
pansion of  fifteenth-century  into  sixteenth-century  art  in  Venice." 

In  the  opinion  of  this  last-named  critic,  indeed,  Palma's  message  was  al- 
most complete  before  Titian  "had  thrown  off  the  last  trammels  of  the  fifteenth 
century,  and  created  those  things  which  have  set  him  at  the  head  ot  Italian 
painting."  "It  seems,"  he  says,  "that  although  the  final  cause  of  the  stride 
taken  by  Venetian  art  at  the  beginning  of  the  sixteenth  century  was  the  e.xcep- 
tional  personality  of  Giorgione,  the  credit  due  for  the  wideness,  the  rapidity, 
and  the  completeness  of  the  change  belongs  in  the  main  to  Palma.  .  .  .  That 
before  him  Giorgione  was  a  finer  spirit,  and  that,  during  his  last  years,  'I  itian 
grew  into  a  more  commanding  personality,  does  not  affect  the  question,  which 
is  one  not  so  much  of  rank  as  of  chronology;  and,  seeing  what  Palma  had  done 
before  the  sixteenth  century  had  completed  its  first  quarter,  it  would  be  un- 
just to  strip  him  of  such  honor  as  belongs  to  the  successful  popularizer,  at 
least,  of  a  new  idea." 

By  the  majority  of  critics  the  position  accorded  to  Palma  \  ecchio  is  less 
important,  the  general  opinion  being  that,  charming  as  he  is  in  many  of  his 
works,  even  great  as  he  shows  himself  to  be  in  some  few,  he  cannot  claim  to 
be  a  leader  or  an  epoch-marking  painter.  "He  cannot,"  as  Vasari's  recent 
editors  have  said,  "be  placed  beside  the  giants  of  later  Venetian  art,  Gior- 
gione, Titian,  Tintoretto,  Veronese,  but  he  stands  in  the  forefront  of  the 
second  rank,  and  he  is  so  thoroughly  a  Venetian,  though  Bergamask  by  birth, 
that  his  pictures  have  been  constantly,  and  still  are,  mistaken  for  the  work 
of  Titian." 

ADOLK     I'HILIPIM  'DIE     KUNST     DER     RENAISSANCE     IN     ITAI.IEN' 

PALMA  VECCHIO,  the  painter  of  portraits  of  women  with  soft,  gleaming 
flesh  and  golden  hair,  is,  next  to  Titian,  the  most  popular  of  the  Venetian 
masters.  In  the  landscape  backgrounds  of  his  pictures,  in  the  general  ar- 
rangement of  his  compositions,  and  frequently  in  the  figures  themselves,  Gior- 
gione's  influence  is  perceptible;  but  he  is  not  Giorgione's  e(|ual  in  intensity  <»f 
feeling  or  power  of  expression.  Palma's  range  is  not  extended,  and  the  same 
subject  is  so  frequently  repeated  that  it  is  not  difficult  to  recognize  his  pic- 
tures. His  forte  lay  in  painting  women;  when  he  did  portray  men  he  was  apt 
to  give  them  gentle  and  somewhat  effeminate  faces,  and  it  is  only  on  rare  oc- 
casions that  he  succeeded  in  painting  a  really  strong  male  figure,  such  as  the 
St.  George  in  one  of  his  finest  pictures,  the  great  altar-piece  in  the  Church  of 
San  Stefano  at  Vicenza. 

His  figures  of  women,  painted  either  singly  or  in  groups,  were  not  so  often 
meant  to  be  portraits  of  any  special  persons  as  they  were  to  represent  a  type; 
and  beautiful  as  many  of  them  are,  more  beautiful  still  than  their  faces,  which 
although  possessing  a  certain  charm  are  apt  to  be  somewhat  vapid,  are  their 
garments,  to  which  far  more  importance  is  given  than  to  the  figures.  As  ta 
the  hands,  so  significant  in  the  work  of  many  of  the  great  painters  skilled  in 
the  portrayal  of  character,  they  are  wholly  lacking  in  anydistincti\  e  expression. 
The  landscapes  which  Palma  introduced  into  his  pictures,  however,  are  of  ex- 

[(>8] 


PALMAVECCHIO  27 

quisite  beauty,  and  a  serene  and  cheerful,  though  never  a  very  animated  spirit 
pervades  his  scenes. 

When,  as  w^as  rarely  the  case,  he  essayed  the  nude,  as  for  example  the  'Ve- 
nus' of  the  Dresden  Gallery,  and  the  'Adam  and  Eve'  in  Brunsvi'ick,  we  see 
that  his  drawing  is  less  correct  and  his  whole  conception  far  less  elevated  than 
in  Giorgione's  or  Titian's  treatment  of  similar  subjects.  Even  in  his  draped 
figures  of  women  the  flesh  is  more  effective  in  its  coloring  than  it  is  true  to 
nature.  But  the  richness  of  his  palette,  the  enamel-like  quality  of  his  tech- 
nique, the  brilliancy  of  his  lights,  are  all  fully  displayed  in  the  appurtenances 
of  the  toilet,  in  the  care  of  which  the  fashionable  ladies  of  Venice  spent  a  great 
portion  of  their  time;  and  when  he  represents  their  golden  or  auburn-colored 
hair,  or  paints  their  rich  dresses  of  brilliant  hues  whose  voluminous  folds  and 
ample  puffs  not  only  covered  but  completely  concealed  the  shape  of  the  figure, 
Palma  was  in  his  element.  In  the  rendering  of  costly  stuffs  all  the  splendor 
of  his  art  is  displayed,  and  it  is  in  them  that  we  see  in  its  perfection  that 
Palmesque  coloring  characteristic  of  a  technique  peculiarly  his  own. 

The  fact  that  Palma  never  signed  or  dated  any  of  his  canvases  makes  it  im- 
possible, in  studying  his  development  as  a  painter,  to  assign  any  exact  chron- 
ological places  to  his  pictures.  But  as  he  was  neither  very  profound  as  an 
artist  nor  very  varied  in  his  achievement,  and  as  his  development  was  limited 
almost  wholly  to  the  one  direction  of  coloring,  uncertainty  as  to  the  precise 
period  when  any  single  picture  was  painted  does  not  prevent  an  understand- 
ing of  his  work  as  a  whole.  Only  once  did  he  rise  to  a  great,  an  almost  mon- 
umental style,  and  that  was  when  he  painted  for  the  Venetian  artillerists  the 
altar-piece  for  their  chapel  in  the  Church  of  Santa  Maria  Formosa  at  Venice, 
with  St.  Barbara,  the  patroness  of  soldiers,  upon  the  central  panel — a  figure  so 
truly  grand  that  it  is  worthy  to  rank  with  the  finest  ideal  creations  of  Italian 
painting.  To  this  same  period  may  be  assigned  the  important  altar-piece  of 
the  Madonna  and  saints  in  Vicenza. 

Prior  to  the  time  when  these  works  were  painted,  several  different  "man- 
ners" led  up  to  the  point  at  which  Palma  attained  his  greatest  skill  as  a  color- 
ist.  His  early  work,  the  'Adam  and  Eve'  in  the  Brunswick  Gallery,  is  painted 
in  a  comparatively  speaking  colorless  way — in  brownish  tones;  later  on,  his 
palette  became  more  varied,  but  the  colors,  although  brilliant,  were  not 
blended  into  an  effect  of  unity;  his  shadows  were  dark,  and  the  drawing  was 
distinctly  defined.  By  degrees  he  arrived  at  a  more  fluent  execution,  overcom- 
ing all  that  was  hard  in  outline  and  glaring  in  color,  and  bathing  the  whole  in 
an  indescribably  lovely  golden  light.  To  this  latest  period  belong  some  of  his 
celebrated  portraits  of  beautiful  women.   .  .  , 

Because  of  a  certain  spirit  known  as  "Palmesque,"  which  pervades  his 
work  and  causes  it  to  make  an  immediate  appeal  to  the  spectator;  because, 
too,  of  the  gem-like  quality  of  color  in  many  of  his  pictures,  to  say  nothing  of 
the  peculiar  type  of  his  women's  portraits,  it  has  been  maintained  by  some 
critics  that  Palma  Vecchio  was  an  influential,  an  epoch-marking  painter.  In 
reality,  however,  his  was  a  nature  more  receptive  than  it  was  calculated  to 
leave  its  impress  upon  others.  His  art,  as  has  been  said,  was  somewhat  limited, 

[69] 


28  MASTERSINART 

but  in  spite  of  this  his  works  are  characterized  hv  much  beauty  and  expres- 
sion.  AHRIOGKD   FROM    IWK  GKR.MAN 

CHARLESBLANC  «HISTOIREDESPEINTRES' 

VASARI  is  right  when  he  says  that  Palma  Vecchio  was  more  skilful  as  a 
colorist  than  as  a  draftsman.  Devoted  to  his  art,  painstaking  and  patient, 
he  finished  his  pictures  highly,  blended  his  colors  harmoniously  and  was  one 
of  the  first  artists  to  paint  in  that  soft,  somewhat  misty  manner,  that  sfumato 
which  was  invented  by  Leonardo  da  Vinci,  but  not  put  into  practice  by  the 
Venetians  until  Giorgione  adopted  it;  and  as  Giorgione  was  of  nearly  the  same 
age  as  Palma,  it  can  be  truly  said  that  the  latter  was  among  the  first  painters 
of  Venice  to  express  in  his  pictures  the  presence  of  atmosphere,  and  who  dis- 
played that  happy,  indefinite  quality  which  gives  an  effect  ot  roundness  to  the 
forms  by  doing  away  with  all  hardness  of  outline.   .  .  . 

Almost  without  except  on,  Palma's  pictures  are  marked  by  softness  and 
gentleness;  his  work  is  very  delicate,  but  as  it  is  not  finicky  in  its  details  it 
produces  as  agreeable  an  effect  when  seen  from  a  distance  as  when  viewed  at 
close  range.  Upon  examination  we  appreciate  the  delicacy  of  work  in  which 
everything  has  been  reproduced,  while  at  a  distance  we  no  longer  count  each 
hair  nor  note  each  tiny  fold  of  drapery  or  slight  imperfection  of  the  skin,  but 
take  in  at  a  glance  the  principal  lights  and  shadows,  the  effect  of  the  whole; 
for  the  painter  has  understood  how  to  reduce  to  a  mass  the  most  elaborate 
details. 

Although  distinctly  Venetian,  Palma's  method  of  painting  differed  from 
that  of  the  other  great  masters  in  Venice.  Tintoretto,  for  example,  and  e\en 
Titian  himself  in  his  old  age,  sought  for  a  decorative  effect,  and  often  painted 
with  an  exaggeration  of  breadth,  laying  on  the  colors  with  apparent  and  yet 
with  studied  carelessness,  so  that  the  effect  of  their  works  could  be  obtained 
only  from  a  distance,  when,  modified  by  the  intervening  air,  they  still  pre- 
served to  some  extent  their  accent  and  their  firmness.  Palma,  on  the  contrary, 
laid  his  colors  on  thinly — only  in  the  light  places  are  they  slightly  loaded  — 
and  having  obtained  his  effects  by  means  of  glazing,  obliterated  all  strokes  of 
the  brush  according  to  the  delicate  manner  of  Titian  in  his  earl\-  \outh. — 

FROM  THE   FRENCH 

(;eorg   c;ronau  br  van's  'dictionary  ok  painters  and  engraver>" 

THE  fact  that  Palma  Vecchio  never  signed  or  dated  a  picture,  together 
with  the  very  few  dates,  and  even  those  only  of  his  later  years,  known 
from  documents,  makes  it  easy  to  understand  how  difficult  it  is  to  trace  his 
artistic  development — the  more  so,  as  the  character  of  his  painting  under- 
went only  slight  variations  during  the  different  decades  of  his  life.  As  it  was 
with  all  painters  born  in  the  Bergamask  province,  his  art  alwa\'s  preserved  a 
strong  character  of  provincialism,  which  distinguishes  him  at  once  from  the 
native-born  Venetians.  He  must  ha\e  received  his  first  instruction  from  one 
of  the  fifteenth-century  masters  who  followed  more  the  older  traditions.  This 
may  be  seen  from  the  fact  that  he  painted  many  pictures  of  the  \'irgin  with 

[70] 


PALMAVECCHIO  29 

saints  and  donors  in  half-length  figures,  like  one  of  the  generation  of  later  fif- 
teenth-century artists,  Bissolo,  Catena,  or  Cima;  and  that  some  of  his  altar- 
pieces,  among  them  his  most  famous,  have  the  form  of  a  polyptych,  a  painting 
in  many  parts,  which  rarely  occurs  in  the  sixteenth  century.  But  this  fifteenth- 
century  element  is  discernible  only  on  the  outside  of  Palma's  art;  his  treatment 
of  form,  his  sense  of  color,  his  understanding  of  nature,  give  him  his  position 
with  the  masters  of  the  sixteenth  century,  with  Giorgione,  Titian,  and  Sebas- 
tiano  del  Piombo.  So  that  he  occupies  a  place  in  Venice  not  unlike  Fra  Bar- 
tolommeo's  in  Florence  —  that  of  an  artist  who  invested  the  composition  of  a 
previous  period  with  the  form  of  the  classic  style  in  Italian  art. 

But  it  is  not  this  alone  that  gives  Palma  Vecchio  a  distinct  position  in  the 
history  of  Venetian  art.  He  did  not,  perhaps,  introduce,  but  he  certainly  de- 
veloped more  than  any  of  his  contemporaries  the  theme  generally  characterized 
as  a  'Holy  Conversation';  this  means  the  reunion  of  various  saints  around 
the  Holy  Family  seated  in  a  meadow,  with  a  background  of  dark  trees  and  a 
view  of  an  open  landscape  extending  to  the  blue  mountains  beyond.  Again 
and  again  he  repeated  this  theme,  which  afterwards  became  more  popular  in 
the  work  of  his  pupil  Bonifazio.  Besides  this,  Venetian  art  is  indebted  to 
Palma  for  certain  pictures  of  beautiful  women  —  not  portraits,  but  highly 
idealized  forms  with  somewhat  sensual  expressions.  .  .  . 

As  a  colorist  Palma  Vecchio  has  his  own  position  among  the  Venetian  mas- 
ters of  his  time.  Even  at  a  glance  it  is  easy  to  recognize  his  work.  His  color- 
scheme  is  brilliant  and  of  a  light,  almost  golden,  general  tone.  The  hair  of 
his  women  is  very  light  and  the  flesh-tones  fair.  His  handling  of  the  brush 
is  smooth,  so  that  the  general  impression  of  his  art  is  frequently  somewhat 
effeminate.  In  his  later  years  his  pictures  are  sometimes  pale  in  coloring;  not 
a'  few  of  these  were  finished  by  his  pupils,  Bonifazio  and  others;  some  of 
them,  indeed,  because  of  the  large  share  which  his  assistants  had  in  com- 
pleting them,  have  up  to  the  present  time  remained  unrecognized  as  his  work. 

CROWE    AND    CAVALCASELLE  «A    HISTORY    OF    PAINTING    IN    NORTH    ITALY' 

THE  real  source  at  which  Palma  drew  is  more  distant  than  annalists  im- 
agined; it  will  be  found  in  Giovanni  Bellini,  Carpaccio,  and  Cima;  and 
starting  from  this  point,  Palma  shared  with  Giorgione  and  Titian  the  honor 
of  modernizing  and  regenerating  Venetian  art. 

He  was  not  a  great  master  in  the  full  meaning  of  the  term;  he  had  neither 
the  weight  nor  the  versatility  of  Titian,  nor  the  highest  gifts  of  the  colorist 
which  distinguish  Giorgione,  nor  the  force  or  impetuosity  of  Pordenone — 
but  he  was  very  little  behind  Giorgione,  and  he  had  a  much  more  elevated 
feeling  than  his  rivals.  In  the  small  field  which  he  cultivated  he  was  a  fine 
composer;  his  drawing  was  quick  and  resolute,  his  touch  unhesitating,  firm, 
and  fluid.  The  type  of  figure  to  which  he  clung  was  full  and  ripe  ennobled 
in  the  faces  by  delicate  chiseled  features,  and  wanting  only  in  the  perfect  dig- 
nity of  carriage  and  mien  familiar  to  Titian.  His  forms  had  seldom  those  in- 
fallible marks  of  breed  which  are  revealed  in  clean  articulations  and  perfectly 
proportioned  extremities.     It  may  have  been  lack  of  attention,  it  may  also 

[71] 


30  MASTERSINART 

have  been  want  of  power  to  seize  and  realize  the  subtlest  finesses  of  anatomy 
which  caused  him  to  conceal  the  conformation  of  the  human  framework  under 
flesh  and  fat;  he  certainly  generalized  with  convenience,  and  carried  out  move- 
ments by  suggestion  more  than  by  analysis;  but  in  this  suggestiveness  he  was 
frequently  happy  even  when  verging  on  affectation.  .  .  . 

The  melody  of  his  tones  is  not  so  deep  nor  so  rich  as  Titian's  or  Giorgibne's, 
but  is  striking  for  its  "brio;"  there  is,  perhaps,  no  painter  who  dazzles  more 
by  his  light  than  Palma.  In  contrast  with  pearly  skin,  especially  of  women, 
the  clear  and  varied  vestment  tints,  deadened  by  juxtaposition,  are  full  of 
sparkle.  Solid,  oily  impast  blended  with  excessive  care  and  purity  is  brought 
to  a  gay  transparence  in  flesh  by  opal  grays  forming  the  transition  to  shadow. 
The  general  preparation,  remodeled  at  a  second  painting  by  half-bodied 
scumbles,  is  finished  with  the  very  slightest  veil  of  glazes,  the  whole  surface 
acquiring  at  last  a  warm,  clear,  golden  polish.  We  can  always  detect  the 
Palmesque  handling  by  the  shrivel  of  the  thick  first  coat  of  paint  and  a  pecul- 
iar form  of  crackle.  Palma's  taste  in  dress  was  greatly  cultivated,  and  con- 
descended to  the  smallest  minutiae  of  ornament  and  detail;  his  drapery  is 
more  often  characterized  by  breadth  and  flatness  of  surface  than  by  flow;  it  is 
broken  by  shallow  depressions  into  angular  sections  of  irregular  shape,  and 
varied  by  the  play  of  reflections  in  the  texture  of  silks  and  brocades.  Like 
Giorgione — and  in  this  the  true  follower  of  Giovanni  Bellini — he  was  fond 
of  natural  backgrounds,  and  he  painted  smiling  landscapes  at  the  period  of 
their  brightest  verdure. 

We  have  no  authoritative  information  as  to  Palma's  having  been  appren- 
ticed to  any  painter  of  name,  but,  like  most  Bergamasks,  he  studied  the  prin- 
cipal masters  of  Venice  at  the  close  of  the  fifteenth  century.  In  the  process  of 
assimilation  he  held  as  a  colorist  to  Giovanni  Bellini;  but  in  that — as  in  the 
absorption  of  elements  derived  from  Cima  and  Carpaccio — his  reproduction 
was  modern*  and  original.  In  portraits,  and  most  frequently  in  portraits  of 
women,  where  he  revealed  that  sort  of  excellence  which  has  been  coupled  with 
the  name  of  Giorgione,  he  remained  unsurpassed  for  brilliancy  of  palette,  rich 
blending  and  softness  of  tone,  elegance  of  demeanor,  and  taste  in  dress. 

MARY     LOGAN  'GUIDE    TO    THE     ITALIAN     PICTURES    AT     HAMPTON     COURT' 

PALMA'S  flesh-painting,  which  has  surfaces  more  even  and  glossier  than 
Titian's  or  Lotto's,  comes  close  to  Bellini's,  and  his  stutts,  b)-  their  lack 
of  luster  and  heavy  texture,  tend  to  produce  an  effect  of  dignity  which  suggests 
the  older  rather  than  the  younger  generation  of  lkllines(|ue  painters.  Indeed, 
among  the  younger  men  he  may  be  considered  as  Bellini's  most  faithful  fol- 
lower, being,  in  fact,  the  only  one  of  them  who  retained  as  much  of  the  old  as 
he  adopted  of  the  new.  This  gave  him  a  certain  solidity  and  gravity  so  marked 
as  to  distinguish  him  in  the  same  way  that  Titian  is  distinguished  for  his  mag- 
nificence and  Lotto  for  his  refinement. 

I  he  fact  that  Palma  was  by  birth  a  peasant  from  a  mouiu.iiii  country  ma\- 
help  to  explain  these  (jualities,  and  also  to  account  for  the  simplicity  and  even 
honuliness  of  some  of  his  pictures.    The  well-known  '  Jacob  and  Rachel'  at 

[72] 


PALMA     VECCHIO  31 

Dresden  is  a  case  in  point.  In  the  midst  of  a  landscape  as  romantic  as  any  by 
Giorgione,  Palma  has  placed  a  youth  and  maiden  who,  in  their  bourgeois,  mat- 
ter-of-fact heartiness,  irresistibly  suggest  Goethe's  'Hermann  and  Dorothea.' 
This  tendency,  always  present,  seemed  to  grow  upon  him,  and  he  tended  to 
adapt  himself  more  and  more  to  the  heavy  peasant  type  with  which  he  was 
familiar.  It  has  been  said  of  him  that  he  "translated  the  courtly  poetry  of 
Giorgione  into  the  simple  language  of  villagers."  Yet  if  Palma's  sense  of 
poetry  was  weak,  his  coloring,  on  the  other  hand,  always  remained  powerful. 
In  the  beginning  he  used  the  brownish  tones  of  Bellini;  later,  under  the  influ- 
ence of  Giorgione,  he  became  dazzling  and  gorgeous;  and  some  years  before 
his  death  he  developed  a  scheme  of  color  of  his  own,  with  a  decided  preference 
for  an  extremely  blond  treatment.  He  may  have  acquired  this  manner  through 
painting  those  portraits  of  fat  blondes  for  which  he  is  particularly  famous,  for 
it  is  known  that  all  the  fashionable  women  of  Venice  flocked  to  him  for  their 
portraits.  It  may  be,  on  the  other  hand,  that  they  employed  him  because  he 
made  them  look  more  blond  than  any  other  painter  would  have  done,  for  yel- 
low hair  and  shining  white  skin  were  an  indispensable  element  of  fashionable 
beauty  in  Venice  at  that  time.   .   .   . 

Palma  was  the  inventor  of  the  Santa  Conversazione,  a  kind  of  compo- 
sition which  quickly  found  great  favor  in  Venice.  These  pictures  purporting 
to  be  the  Holy  Family,  alone  or  with  saints  grouped  around  them,  are  in  reality 
nothing  but  representations  of  the  Venetians  at  their  favorite  recreation,  a 
day's  picnic  in  the  country;  and  his  followers  did  not  scruple  to  introduce  into 
such  compositions  plates  of  fruit  and  even  hampers  of  food.  For  Palma's 
originality  and  power  were  great  enough  to  place  him  at  the  head  of  a  distinct 
following  within  the  school  of  Giorgione.  One  of  the  most  delightful  painters 
of  the  day,  Bonifazio,  was  so  close  an  adherent  of  Palma  as  at  times  to  be  al- 
most indistinguishable  from  him.  Cariani,  too,  was  his  pupil,  and  Jacopo 
Bassano,  although  not  a  direct  pupil,  worked  upon  his  lines.  Painters  from 
the  country  seemed  to  be  attracted  to  a  master  whom  Venice  never  succeeded 
in  weaning  from  his  love  of  rural  homeliness. 

P.ALBERTKUHN  'ALLGEMEINEKUNST-GESCHICHTE" 

IN  Palma  Vecchio's  works  the  human  form  is  fuller,  rounder,  more  opulent, 
and  less  ideal  than  in  Giorgione's;  the  colors  in  his  pictures  are  not  so  rich 
nor  so  deeply  shadowed  —  indeed,  the  whole  scale  on  which  they  are  painted 
is  lighter  and  clearer,  and  the  tones  are  blended  into  a  soft  and  harmonious 
unison  by  means  of  a  golden  haze,  and  frequently  by  a  most  delicate  sfumato. 
It  is  by  his  technique,  and  by  the  peculiar  breadth  and  plumpness  of  his  fig- 
ures, rather  than  by  any  imagination  or  inventive  power,  that  Palma's  works 
are  characterized.  He  excelled  in  the  same  directions  as  did  Giorgione — in 
the  painting  of  altar-pieces;  in  the  portrayal  of  those  Sante  Conversazioni,  or 
'Holy  Conversations,'  scenes  in  which  sacred  personages  are  represented,  and 
which  may  be  said  to  correspond  to  Giorgione's  poetic  idyls  of  rural  life;  and 
lastly,  in  a  kind  of  portrait,  or  fancy  character-study,  partaking  of  the  nature 
of  genre. 

[73] 


32  MASTERS     IN     ART 

In  Palma's  religious  pictures  painted  for  churches  the  figures  are  some- 
times strong  and  powerful,  marked  by  dignity  and  elevation,  and  to  these  (jual- 
ities  a  dazzling  beauty  is  added,  and  a  fullness  of  form  decidedly  suggestive 
of  this  world. 

The  so-called  'Holy  Conversations'  were  not  intended  for  churches,  but 
for  the  decoration  of  private  houses.  In  these  the  theme  is  always  the  same, 
though  carried  out  with  variations,  the  sacred  subject  becoming  in  Palma's 
hands  a  sort  of  religious  story  of  every-day  life;  for  in  all  these  outdoor  scenes 
his  conception  is  free  and  unconstrained,  and  somewhat  mundane,  although 
beneath  it  all  there  lies  a  rich  strain  of  poetic  beauty,  and.  as  a  rule,  there  is 
an  ideal  splendor  and  harmony  of  color. 

More  characteristic  of  Palma  than  any  of  the  kinds  of  work  just  named, 
however,  are  the  half-length  figures  of  women,  of  which  he  painted  so  many 
that  they  are  inseparably  associated  with  his  name,  and  in  which  he  shows 
himself  to  be  more  truly  Venetian  than  in  any  others  of  his  works.  Even  in 
his  altar-pieces  we  often  find  female  figures  —  not  excepting  the  Madonna 
herself — in  which  he  has  reproduced  the  features  of  one  or  another  of  the 
beautiful  women  who  played  so  prominent  a  role  in  the  brilliant  life  of  Venice 
of  that  day.  To  the  gifts  of  beauty  with  which  nature  had  so  richly  endowed 
them,  we  are  told  that  they  sought  to  add  new  charms  b)-  means  of  the  secret 
arts  of  the  toilet.  In  his  work,  written  in  1590,  on  the  costumes  of  the  time, 
Cesare  Vecellio  relates  how  skilful  they  were  in  imparting  a  tint  yellow  as  gold 
to  their  naturally  dark  hair.  And  it  would  seem  that  Palma  Vecchio  freely 
took  advantage  of  this  feminine  accomplishment,  and  in  his  turn  understood 
how  to  offset  the  golden  hue  of  the  long  braids  or  of  the  loosely  flowing  wa\es 
of  hair  with  the  most  delicate  flesh-tones,  contrasting  the  whole  with  a  splendid 
harmony  of  color  in  the  garments  and  in  the  background.  He  never  tired  of 
glorifying  this  ideal  of  Venetian  beauty,  painting  over  and  over  again,  in 
different  positions  and  surroundings,  the  women  who  sat  for  him,  sometimes 
concealing  the  identity  of  the  model  with  classic  garments  and  under  a  classic 
name,  but  oftener  still  portraying  her  in  the  rich  and  picturesque  costume  of 
Venice  of  the  sixteenth  century  — from  the  German 

JUL  lA     CART  WRIGHT  'CHRIST     AND     HIS     MOTHER     IN     ITALIAN     ART" 

PALMA  VECCHIO  never  dated  his  pictures,  but  as  his  style  passed 
through  three  successive  stages,  we  are  able  to  determine  the  chronology 
of  his  works  with  some  degree  of  exactness.  During  his  first  period  he  fol- 
lowed the  orthodox  traditions  of  Venetian  art,  and  painted  in  the  sober  and 
dignified  manner  of  his  master  Giovanni  Bellini.  In  the  second  or  middle 
period  his  style  became  more  fully  developed,  and  displayed  a  freedom  and 
splendor  of  coloring  that  were  plainly  the  result  of  his  intercourse  with  Gior- 
gione  and  Titian.  Finally,  in  his  last  years  he  adopted  a  broader  technicjue 
and  a  soft  golden  tone,  which  often  recall  Correggio's  style,  and  are  recognized 
as  marks  of  his  third  or  "blond"  manner. 

Among  the  finest  works  of  his  maturity  are  the  altar-pieces  in  the  Church 
of  San  Stefano  at  Vicenza,  and  in  Santa  Maria  Formosa  at  Wnice.    The  first 

I  7  4  J 


PALMA     VECCHIO  33 

is  modeled  on  the  old  traditions  of  the  fifteenth  century,  and  represents  the 
Virgin  enthroned  between  St.  Lucy  and  St.  George,  with  a  child-angel  playing 
a  lute  on  the  steps  at  her  feet.  The  second  was  painted  for  the  chapel  of  the 
Bombardieri  in  the  Church  of  Santa  Maria  Formosa,  Venice.  Here  the 
queenly  form  of  St.  Barbara,  in  crimson  robes  with  a  crown  on  her  head  and 
a  palm  in  her  hand,  is  one  of  Palma's  grandest  creations.  A  third  altar-piece, 
now  in  the  Academy  of  Venice,  represents  St.  Peter  enthroned,  with  an  open 
book  on  his  knee  and  six  other  saints  at  his  side.  To  the  same  period  belong 
the  best  of  those  'Holy  Families,'  known  as  Sante  Conversazioni,  which  Palma 
was  the  first  to  introduce,  and  which  soon  became  popular  in  Venice.  These 
happy  groups,  resting  in  sunny  meadows  or  forest  glades,  with  farm-houses 
perched  on  the  heights  above,  and  blue  hills  in  the  distance,  naturally  ap- 
pealed to  the  rich  Venetians'  taste  for  country  life,  and  Palma,  who  had  peas- 
ant blood  in  his  veins,  took  especial  delight  in  these  pastoral  surroundings 
which  recalled  the  rural  scenes  of  his  mountain  home.  The  fashion  which  he 
had  set  was  quickly  adopted  by  contemporary  artists,  and  developed  on  a 
larger  scale  by  his  pupil  Bonifazio.  One  splendid  example  of  this  class  of 
composition  by  Palma's  own  hand  is  in  the  gallery  of  Naples;  another  is  the 
well-known  'Adoration  of  the  Shepherds'  in  the  Louvre.  But  of  all  these 
rural  scenes  the  fairest  and  most  perfect  idyl  is  the  *  Meeting  of  Jacob  and 
Rachel,'  in  the  Dresden  Gallery. 

Yet  a  third  class  of  subjects  must  be  named  among  Palma's  works.  These 
are  the  portraits  both  of  men  and  women,  which,  like  all  his  Venetian  con- 
temporaries, he  painted  in  large  numbers  at  every  period  of  his  career.  Chief 
among  his  pictures  of  men  is  the  famous  poet  of  the  National  Gallery,  with 
the  laurel  background  and  the  gold  chain  on  his  crimson  robe — one  of  Palma's 
noblest  works.  The  beauties  whom  he  painted,  whether  under  their  own 
names  or  in  the  characters  of  Lucrezia  and  Venus,  were  mostly  Venetian  ladies 
of  great  houses,  such  as  the  Contarini,  the  Priuli,  and  Querini,  who  were  all 
among  Palma's  most  liberal  patrons.  Soon  he  became  the  fashionable  painter ; 
of  these  large,  white-skinned,  yellow-haired  ladies  who  bathed  their  locks  with 
golden  washes  and  sat  on  the  roof  while  their  hair  dried  in  the  sunshine.  Many 
are  the  portraits  of  this  type  that  meet  us  in  public  and  private  galleries.  There 
is  the  'Lucrezia'  of  the  Borghese  Gallery,  Rome,  and  the  'Venus'  of  Dresden, 
a  nude  woman  lying  on  a  white  cloth  —  painted,  it  must  be  confessed,  with 
little  of  Titian's  power  or  of  Giorgione's  charm.  There  is  the  'Judith'  of  the 
Uffizi  Gallery  and  the  so-called  'Bella  di  Tiziano,'  formerly  of  the  Sciarra 
Gallery,  in  her  red  mantle,  holding  the  jewel-case  in  her  hand.  And  there  are 
the  'Three  Sisters,'  at  Dresden,  all  three  of  whom  have  the  same  full-blown 
forms,  the  same  placid,  comely  faces,  the  same  yellow  hair,  and  are  painted  in 
Palma's  blondest  manner,  without  much  sense  of  refinement,  but  not  without 
a  certain  charm.  The  Imperial  Gallery  at  Vienna  boasts  no  less  than  six  of 
Palma's  beauties,  among  them  the  famous  'Violante'  with  the  violet  at  her 
breast  and  the  masses  of  wavy  golden  hair,  who  was  so  favorite  a  model  with 
the  Venetian  masters  of  that  time.  .  .  . 

To  the  end  of  his  life  Palma's  art  bore  signs  of  the  hardy  robustness  which 

[75] 


34  MASTERSINART 

he  had  inherited  from  his  mountain  race,  and  remained  more  vigorous  and 
imposing,  if  less  refined  and  intellectual,  than  that  of  the  other  great  Venetian 
masters. 

H  .    K  N  A  C  K  F  U  S  S    AND     M  .    G  .    Z  I  M  M  E  R  NI  A  N  N        '  A  L  L  G  E  M  E I  N  E     K  U  N  S  T  G  E  S  C  H  I  C  H  T  E  ' 

ALTHOUGH  not  so  profound  nor  so  richly  endowed  with  creative  power 
*.  as  Giorgione  or  Titian,  Palma  V'ecchio  occupies  an  important  place  in  the 
history  of  the  Venetian  Renaissance,  for,  if  he  lacks  the  lofty  genius  which  in- 
spired their  art,  and  gives  expression  in  his  pictures  to  more  superficial  things, 
he  may  for  that  very  reason  be  said  to  be  the  portra)er  of  the  joyousness  of 
the  Venetians  and  of  their  delight  in  outward  existence,  and  therefore  to  hold 
a  position  during  the  early  part  of  the  sixteenth  century  similar  to  that  held 
by  Paolo  Veronese  during  the  latter  part  of  the  same  period. 

The  superficiality  of  Palma's  artistic  nature  is  manifested  in  the  first  place 
by  his  careless  drawing,  which  shows  the  absence  of  an\'  firm  anatomical  con- 
struction of  the  figure.  Without  the  gift  of  dramatic  composition,  he  excels  in 
his  representations  of  peaceful,  uneventful  existence,  and  he  is  full  of  feeling 
for  that  radiant  and  sumptuous  beauty  which  is  embodied  for  us  in  his  charm- 
ingly idealized  portraits  of  women.  His  colors  have  less  depth  than  those  of 
his  contemporaries,  but  they  are  unequaled  in  their  rich  and  gleaming  bril- 
liancy, and  seem  to  exhale  the  very  joy  of  life.  The  well-defined  forms  and 
hard  colors  of  his  early  works  became,  as  time  went  on,  constantly  broader 
and  freer,  his  execution  became  stronger,  and  finally  the  outlines  were  lost  in 
melting  softness,  and  his  canvases  were  suffused  in  a  golden  light.  —  from 

THE   GERMAN 


Ct)e  lE^orlxS  of  ^alma  '^m\)io 

DESCRIPTIONS    OF    THE     PLATES 
«ST.    BARBARA'  PI.ATEI 

THIS  world-renowned  picture,  justly  regarded  as  Palma's  greatest  work, 
forms  the  central  panel  of  an  altar-piece  painted  in  the  artist's  middle 
or  Cii()rgiones()uc  period,  at  the  recjuest  of  the  Bombardier!,  or  \  enetian  artil- 
lerists, for  the  altar  of  their  chapel  in  the  Church  of  Santa  Maria  Fomosa  at 
Venice,  where  itstill  occupies  its  original  place. 

On  both  sides  of  this  figure  are  panels  on  which  are  represented  respectively 
St.  Sebastian  and  St.  Anthony  Abbot.  Above  these  are  half-length  figures  of 
St.  John  the  Baptist  and  St.  Dominic,  with  a  Pieta  in  a  lunette  between.  These 
figures,  on  a  smaller  scale  than  is  that  of  the  central  panel,  are  excellently  ren- 
dered and  are  full  of  feeling,  but  none  of  them  ecjuals  in  beauty  or  grandeur 
the  St.  Barbara,  standing  upon  her  pedestal  in  a  majestic  attitude,  and,  as 
Yriarte  has  said,  "with  all  the  noble  serenity  of  a  saint  who  is  yet  a  woman." 
Her  robe  of  rich  warm  brown  and  her  flowing  mantle  of  deep  red  completely 
infold  her  form.    A  white  veil  is  twisted  among  the  tresses  of  her  golden  hair. 

[7(1] 


PALMA     VECCHIO  35 

and  on  her  head  she  wears  a  royal  diadem,  emblem,  as  is  the  palm  she  holds, 
of  her  martyrdom. 

St.  Barbara  is  the  patroness  of  soldiers,  and  for  that  reason  her  form  was 
chosen  to  decorate  the  altar  of  the  chapel  where  the  artillerists  were  wont  to 
offer  their  prayers  for  her  protection  in  the  perils  of  war,  and  to  give  thanks 
for  victory  won.  Palma  has  painted  at  her  feet  on  either  side  a  cannon,  and 
behind  her,  outlined  against  the  sky,  the  tower  emblematic  of  her  imprison- 
ment by  her  father,  who  caused  her  to  be  shut  up  within  its  walls  that  her 
beauty  might  not  attract  suitors.  The  legend  relates  that  while  thus  confined 
she  was  converted  to  Christianity  by  a  disciple  of  the  famous  Origen,  who,  dis- 
guised as  a  physician,  came  at  her  request  to  instruct  her  in  the  tenets  of  the 
new  faith,  reports  of  which  had  reached  her  ears.  After  her  baptism  she  re- 
quested to  have  three  windows  made  in  her  tower  in  recognition  of  the  Trinity, 
whereupon  her  father,  in  his  anger  at  this  acknowledgment  of  her  belief, 
would  have  killed  her  with  his  sword  had  not  angels  concealed  her  and  borne 
her  to  a  place  of  safety.  Her  hiding-spot  being  revealed  to  him,  however,  by 
treachery,  she  was  thrown  into  a  dungeon  and  finally  beheaded. 

In  describing  Palma  Vecchio's  great  altar-piece,  Crowe  and  Cavalcaselle 
say,  "No  other  of  his  works  combines  in  a  higher  measure  vigor  and  harmony 
of  tint  with  boldness  of  touch  and  finished  blending.  Nowhere  is  he  more 
fortunate  in  reproducing  the  large,  soft  rounding  to  which  he  so  usually  in- 
clines; in  no  other  instance  has  he  realized  more  clever  chiaroscuro."  And 
in  the  opinion  of  Vasari's  recent  editors,  Palma  has  in  this  altar-piece  "left  a 
picture  which  for  completeness,  dignity,  decorative  feeling,  and  depth  of  color 
may  be  ranked  with  the  great  masterpieces  of  the  Venetian  school." 

♦MADONNA    WITH    ST.    CATHERINE    AND    ST.    JOHN'  PLATE    II 

AN  excellent  example  of  Palma's  early  middle  period  is  offered  by  this  pic- 
ture in  which  the  forms  are  somewhat  more  plastic  in  their  modeling 
than  in  his  later  works,  the  colors  stronger,  and  the  religious  sentiment  more 
emphasized.  In  composition,  execution,  and  in  feeling,  it  ranks  as  one  of 
his  finest  conceptions.  "Never,"  writes  Mrs.  Jameson,  "were  childhood, 
motherhood,  maidenhood,  and  manhood  combined  in  so  sweet  a  spirit  of 
humanity." 

The  Madonna,  in  a  robe  of  rich  red  and  a  blue  mantle,  with  a  white  ker- 
chief over  her  brown  hair,  is  seated  before  a  green  curtain,  clasping  the 
Child  in  her  arms.  She  tenderly  presses  his  face  against  her  own  as  she  ex- 
tends one  hand  to  take  a  parchment  scroll  offered  her  by  St.  John  the  Baptist, 
a  muscular,  swarthy  man,  wearing  a  green  mantle  over  his  garment  of  camel's 
skin,  who  presses  forward  with  eager  face.  Between  them  stands  St.  Cather- 
ine of  Alexandria,  resting  one  hand  upon  her  wheel,  emblem  of  her  mart}T- 
dom.  Her  face,  with  its  fair  complexion  and  framing  of  long  golden  hair,  is 
of  that  type  so  often  painted  by  Palma  Vecchio,  but  in  this  instance  the  fea- 
tures are  more  refined,  and  are  marked  by  a  more  thoughtful  expression  than 
is  usually  found  in  his  portraits  of  Venetian  women.    The  landscape  back- 

[77] 


36  MASTERSINART 

ground,  deep  bluish-green  in  tone,  is  suggestive  of  the  mountain  scenery  of 
the  artist's  early  home  in  the  Valle}'  of  the  Brembo,  near  Bergamo. 

The  picture  is  painted  on  wood,  and  measures  about  two  feet  two  inches 
high  by  a  little  over  three  feet  wide.  It  was  purchased  in  \'enice  in  1749  for 
the  Elector  of  Saxony,  and  is  now  one  of  the  treasures  of  the  Roval  Gallery, 
Dresden. 

»THEMEETI.NGOFJACOBANDRACHEI,  '  PLATEIII 

FOR  many  years  attributed  to  Giorgione,  this  famous  picture  in  the  Royal 
Gallery,  Dresden,  in  which  Palma's  hand  was  first  recognized  by  Morelli, 
is  now  without  a  dissenting  voice  ascribed  to  Palma  Vecchio.  "Every  part  of 
this  picture  proves  it  to  be  by  that  painter," writes  Morelli; "the  rosy  flesh-tints 
characteristic  of  his  third  and  so-called  blond  manner,  the  type  of  Rachel, 
which  coincides  with  that  of  the  'Venus'  by  him  in  this  same  gallery,  her 
robust  and  somewhat  heavy  figure,  and  the  manner  in  which  the  shepherd- 
boy  is  drawn  and  painted,  the  form  of  whose  ear  would  alone  betray  the  hand 
of  Palma.  I  know  no  other  work  of  the  master  so  full  of  pleasantness  and 
charm  and  so  poetically  conceived  as  this  delightful  idyl." 

The  letters  "G.  B.  P.,"  which  in  the  painting  are  discernible  on  Rachel's 
wallet,  and  which  Crowe  and  Cavalcaselle,  who  recognized  the  Bergamask 
character  of  the  picture  and  ascribed  it  to  Palma's  pupil  Cariani,  took  to  mean 
"Giovanni  Busi  fecit" — Giovanni  Busi  being  Cariani's  real  name — are, 
Morelli  says,  an  obvious  and  late  forgery,  undoubtedly  intended  for  Giorgio 
Barbarelli  (Giorgione),  who  as  far  back  as  1684,  when  the  picture  was  in  the 
possession  of  some  monks  of  Treviso,  was  believed  to  have  painted  it. 

'The  Meeting  of  Jacob  and  Rachel'  was  a  favorite  theme  with  Italian 
painters,  and  by  no  one  has  it  been  more  successfully  treated  than  by  Palma 
Vecchio,  whose  rendering  is  unsurpassed  in  its  simplicity  and  tenderness  of 
expression.  Jacob  is  here  portra\ed  in  the  dress  of  a  Bergamask  shepherd, 
with  a  blue  jacket,  white  woolen  tights,  and  ankle-boots.  Rachel  also  wears  a 
peasant's  costume.  Near  these  central  figures  is  a  shepherd  watering  his 
flocks,  and  at  the  left  another  shepherd  lying  beside  a  well,  "a  whole  Arcadia 
of  intense  yearning,"  says  Symonds,  "in  the  eyes  of  sympathy  he  fixes  on 
the  lovers." 

The  landscape  in  which  these  figures  are  grouped  is  full  of  poetic  beauty. 
The  hills  are  crowned  with  houses  shaded  by  clusters  of  trees,  and  cattle  and 
sheep  graze  in  the  valley.  The  colors  are  blended  into  a  soft  harmony,  all 
harshness  of  outline  is  obliterated,  and  the  whole  canvas  is  sufl^used  in  a  glow 
of  golden  light.  The  picture  measures  nearly  five  feet  high  b)-  a  little  over 
eight  feet  wide. 

<M  ADON  N  A     W  IT  H     ST,    I,  UCY    AND    ST.    r,  EORGE  '  I' I.  A  T  F.     1  V 

BETWEEN  I  51  5  and  1525,  when  Palma  was  a  finished  master  in  \'enicc. 
he  was  commissioned  to  paint  two  large  altar-pieces,  one  tor  the  church 
of  Zerman,  a  village  near  Treviso,  and  one  for  the  Church  of  San  Stefano  at 
Vicenza.    It  is  this  last  which  is  here  reproduced. 

[TH] 


PALMA     VECCHIO  37 

Against  a  red  tapestry  hanging,  on  either  side  of  which  is  seen  a  landscape 
of  exquisite  beauty,  the  Madonna  sits  enthroned.  Upon  her  knee  stands  the 
Christ-child,  his  hand  raised  in  blessing  as  he  turns  towards  St.  Lucy,  who 
is  on  the  right,  holding  in  one  hand  the  palm  indicative  of  her  martyrdom, 
and  in  the  other  her  attribute,  a  dish  containing  her  eyes,  which,  accordini»^ 
to  the  legend,  she  herself  plucked  out  and  sent  to  an  importunate  lover 
who  had  declared  that  their  beauty  had  captivated  his  heart.  On  the  other 
side  of  the  throne  is  St.  George,  clad  in  gleaming  armor  and  with  uncovered 
head.  One  hand  rests  upon  his  hip,  the  other  holds  a  banner.  This  figure  of 
St.  George,  the  noblest  male  figure  portrayed  by  Palma's  brush,  is  strikingly 
suggestive  in  pose  and  bearing  of  the  famous  St.  Liberalis  of  Giorgione's  Cas- 
telfranco  altar-piece  (see  Masters  in  Art,  Part  47,  Vol.  4).  Upon  the  steps 
of  the  Madonna's  throne,  between  St.  Lucy  and  St.  George,  is  seated  a  little 
angel  with  outspread  wings,  singing  to  the  music  of  his  lute. 

Crowe  and  Cavalcaselle  find  fault  with  the  "artificiality  of  the  contours"  in 
this  picture,  and  criticize  what  they  call  "a  certain  disproportion  between  the 
small  infant  Christ  and  his  large,  portly  mother,"  as  well  as  a  similar  dis- 
crepancy between  the  size  of  the  boy-angel  and  the  saints  on  either  side.  They 
maintain  that  "a  dullness  of  flesh-tone,  thinness  of  surface  tints,  and  haze  in 
the  landscape"  point  to  the  probability  that  when  this  picture  was  painted 
Palma's  powers  were  on  the  wane,  and  suggest  that  the  painter  may  have  been 
assisted  in  the  work  by  his  pupil  Cariani.  By  most  critics,  however,  the  altar- 
piece  is  assigned  to  the  period  when  Palma  was  at  the  height  of  his  powers; 
indeed,  Morelli  regards  it  as  "perhaps  his  finest  and  most  perfect  work." 

The  principal  figures  are  life-sized,  and  the  whole  picture  measures  over 
thirteen  feet  high.    It  is  in  the  Church  of  San  Stefano  at  Vicenza. 

'THETHREESISTERS'  PLATE    V 

A  CELEBRATED  example  of  Palma  Vecchio's  third  or  blond  manner  is 
this  painting  in  the  Royal  Gallery,  Dresden,  sometimes  called  'The 
Three  Graces,'  but  more  often  'The  Three  Sisters,'  a  work  which,  as  Kugler 
says,  "is  the  embodiment  of  the  painter's  fair  and  full-blown  type  of  beauty." 

"Without  the  high  and  aristocratic  air  of  'La  Bella  di  Tiziano,' "  write 
Crowe  and  Cavalcaselle,  or  "the  youth  and  delicacy  which  dwell  in  the  'Vio- 
lante'  at  Vienna,  yet  with  a  tasteful  splendor  of  dress  that  has  its  piquancy, 
these  three  young  women  are  grouped  with  pleasing  variety  and  artifice  in 
front  of  a  charming  landscape.  There  is  hardly  a  single  peculiarity  of  the 
master  remaining  unrepresented — his  melting  shapes,  his  fair,  almost  waxen 
complexions,  his  fine,  chiseled  features,  small  hands,  brocades  and  slashes, 
his  draperies  without  depth,  flow,  or  winding  contour.  There  is,  perhaps, 
less  than  usual  transparency  and  modeling  in  the  skin;  and  the  touch  being 
loose  and  washy  creates  an  impression  of  emptiness." 

It  is  generally  supposed  that  in  this  picture  Palma  employed  the  same 
model  for  each  of  the  three  figures,  which  are  noticeably  of  the  same  type. 
All  have  the  same  fair  complexions,  the  same  wavy  golden  hair,  the  same  full, 
rounded  forms  and  somewhat  vapid  expressions.    The  rich  dresses,  similar  in 

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38  MASTERSINART 

design,  vary  in  color,  that  of  the  central  figure  being  blue,  \\  bile  her  sisters 
are  clad  one  in  red  and  the  other  in  yellow. 

The  painting  has  unfortunately  been  so  seriously  injured  by  the  restorer 
that  it  is  difficult  to  form  a  just  opinion  of  its  beauty  when  seen  in  1525  by 
"The  Anonimo"  in  the  house  of  Taddeo  Contarini  in  V'enice.  It  is  on  wood 
and  measures  nearly  three  feet  high  by  about  four  feet  wide. 

'VIOLANTE'  PLATE     VI 

AMONG  Palma  Vecchio's  many  portraits  of  golden-haired  women  in  the 
^  Imperial  Gallery,  Vienna,  none  is  more  celebrated  than  the  'Violante,' 
which  was  formerly  supposed  to  represent  the  painter's  daughter,  who,  tra- 
dition said,  was  dearly  loved  by  Titian;  but  as  no  proof  exists  that  Palma  had 
a  daughter — indeed,  there  is  every  evidence  that  he  died  unmarried — it 
would  seem  that  the  famous  Violante  was  a  favorite  model  of  the  day  in  Ven- 
ice, whose  features  frecjuently  recur  on  the  canvases  of  both  Palma  and  Titian. 
In  the  picture  here  reproduced  she  wears  a  blue  bodice  with  full  sleeves  of 
brownish-yellow  brocade.  A  mantle  of  blue  is  draped  over  her  left  arm,  and 
in  the  finely  plaited  ruching  of  her  muslin  chemisette  is  placed  a  violet,  pre- 
sumably in  allusion  to  the  sitter's  name. 

Violante's  features  are  delicately  drawn,  her  complexion  is  of  dazzling 
purity,  her  eyes  dark,  and  her  flowing  wavy  hair,  confined  b\-  a  narrow  rib- 
bon, is  of  that  peculiar  golden  hue  affected  b\-  the  beautiful  wt)men  of  \^enice, 
and  which  Palma's  brush  was  so  skilful  in  rendering.  The  panel  on  which 
the  portrait  is  painted  measures  about  two  feet  high  by  one  foot  eight  inches 
wide.    The  figure  is  life-sized. 

Unfortunately  the  work  has  been  injured  bv  cleaning  and  over-painting. 
The  final  glazes  have  been  lost,  and,  as  a  consequence,  the  colors  are  more 
positive,  the  harmonies  less  soft,  than  in  their  original  state.  In  spite  of  all 
this,  however,  "the  charm  of  the  picture,"  writes  Sir  Walter  Armstrong,  "is 
overpowering.  It  fascinates  by  an  intense  femininity,  a  femininit\'  which  in 
Titian  and  even  in  Giorgione  is  leavened  too  often  with  a  touch  of  masculine 
severity.  Palma  is  content  with  woman  as  she  is,  and  here,  as  well  as  in  many 
another  portrait  from  his  brush,  it  was  by  those  intimate  beauties  which  fit  her 
for  her  work  in  life  that  his  labor  was  invited." 

•MADONNAWITHSAINTSANDDONORS'  I' LATE     \- II 

PALMA  VECCHIO  is  generally  regarded  as  the  originator  of  that  style  of 
picture  known  as  a  Santa  Conversazione,  or  *  Holv  Conversation'  —  an 
idyllic  scene  in  which  the  Madonna  and  saints  are  grouped  in  a  siinn\-  land- 
scape. Of  his  many  works  of  this  description,  the  example  in  the  Naples 
Museum  which  is  here  reproduced  is  one  of  the  most  beautiful — worthy, 
Morelli  says,  to  rank  with  his  'Adoration  of  the  Shepherds'  in  the  Louvre 
(see  plate  i\). 

The  Madonna  is  here  shown  seated  upon  a  knoll  in  an  undulating  coiMitr\-, 
holding  in  her  arms  the  Child,  who  turns  to  bless  the  kneeling  and  reverent 
donors,  a  nobleman  and  his  lady,  whose  heads  and  shoulders  are  seen  in  the 

I  MM 


PALMA     VECCHIO  39 

right-hand  corner  of  the  picture  and  who  are  presented  to  the  holy  group  by 
St.  Jerome,  white-haired,  and  wearing  a  red  mantle.  On  the  left,  St.  John 
the  Baptist  points  to  the  kneeling  pair,  whose  rich  apparel  of  silks  and  fur  is 
in  striking  contrast  to  the  tattered  garb  of  the  two  saints.  Just  behind  St. 
John,  her  hand  upon  his  shoulder,  her  form  somewhat  shadowed  by  the 
branches  of  a  tree,  is  St.  Catherine. 

The  scene  is  one  of  quiet,  tranquil  beauty.  The  sun  shines  upon  the  dis- 
tant hills  and  touches  the  groups  of  houses,  and  the  trees  and  bushes  with 
which  the  landscape  is  diversified.  The  figures  are  well  placed  in  relation 
to  each  other,  and  there  is  a  freedom  and  vigor  in  the  drawing  and  an  orig- 
inality in  the  composition  which,  combined  with  a  richness  of  color,  entitle  the 
picture  to  a  high  place  among  Palma's  works. 

'PORTRAIT    OF    A    LADY'  PLATE    VIII 

THIS  portrait,  which  until  within  recent  years  hung  in  the  Sciarra-Colonna 
Palace,  Rome,  but  is  now  owned  by  M.  Alphonse  de  Rothschild,  Paris, 
was  formerly  believed  to  be  the  work  of  Titian,  and  is  still  often  spoken  of  by 
the  title  which  it  long  bore,  *  La  Bella  di  Tiziano.'  It  is  now,  however,  held 
by  all  authoritative  critics  to  be  by  Palma  Vecchio,  and  is  regarded  as  one  of 
that  painter's  most  charming  portrayals  of  a  famous  beauty  of  the  day  in 
Venice — "as  noble  in  her  calm  repose,"  says  Taine,  "as  a  Greek  statue." 

The  face,  with  its  finely  chiseled  features,  is  turned  to  the  spectator.  "One 
hand,"  write  Crowe  and  Cavalcaselle,  "plays  with  the  locks  of  hair  which  fall 
luxuriantly  over  the  shoulder,  the  other  holds  a  box  of  ornaments  on  a  marble 
pedestal.  The  snow-white  bosom  is  chastely  veiled  by  a  fine  web  of  white 
drawn  together  in  the  closest  and  most  delicate  plaits.  Over  this  comes  a 
parti-colored  mantilla  of  stiff  tissue  in  gay  shades  of  red  and  ruby,  cut  into 
numerous  angular  sections,  lined  with  bright  ultramarine  diversified  with  the 
snowy  texture  of  a  muslin  handkerchief.  From  wrist  to  elbow  the  arm  is 
lightly  decked  with  a  lace  sleeve  braced  at  intervals  with  ribbons  of  red  and 
green,  and  striped  with  colors  of  the  same.  It  is  impossible  to  conceive  any- 
thing more  indicative  of  quality  than  this  figure,  and  though  we  notice  a  cer- 
tain want  of  balance  in  the  mass  of  the  draperies,  and  a  lack  of  nature  in  the 
kaleidoscopic  mode  of  setting  them,  the  harmony  of  all  the  bits  thus  put  to- 
gether is  so  grateful  and  bright,  the  touch  is  so  delicate  in  grain,  that  we  won- 
der and  admire." 

<ADORATIONOFTHESHEPHERDS'  PLATEIX 

IN  the  Gallery  of  the  Louvre,"  writes  Theophile  Gautier,  "there  is  a 
superb  picture  by  Palma  Vecchio  which  for  many  years  was  attributed 
to  Titian — an  attribution  which  is  by  no  means  surprising  when  we  see  how 
warm  and  rich  are  the  colors,  and  how  glowing  the  harmonies."  This  paint- 
ing, called  the  'Adoration  of  the  Shepherds,'  was  evidently  intended  for  a 
votive  offering,  for  in  one  corner  the  kneeling  figure  of  the  donor,  in  a  fur- 
trimmed  robe  of  gray,  is  introduced.  St.  Joseph  and  the  Virgin  are  repre- 
sented seated  before  some  picturesque  ruins,  and  between  them  on  a  little 

[81] 


40  MASTERS     IN    ART 

basket  crib  Is  the  Child,  lovin<il\'  encircled  in  his  mother's  arms.  Mary's  robe 
is  red,  and  across  her  knees  a  blue  mantle  is  draped.  St.  Joseph,  wearing  a 
long  brown  cloak,  leans  on  his  staff  as  he  turns  to  look  upon  a  young  shepherd 
in  tattered  raiment  who  humbly  kneels  before  the  infant  Christ,  his  face  ex- 
pressive of  tender  and  adoring  love.  In  a  sunn)'  landscape  beyond,  other 
shepherds  are  seen  upon  a  hill,  gazing  at  a  group  of  angels  in  the  sky  bringing 
them  the  glad  tidings  of  the  Saviour's  birth. 

"The  beauty  of  the  heads,  the  easy  grace  of  the  figures,  the  soft  fall  of  the 
draperies,  and  the  brilliancy  of  the  color-scheme,"  writes  Gautier,  "all  com- 
bine to  render  this  work  one  of  the  most  beautiful  of  the  Venetian  school." 

The  picture  measures  about  four  and  a  half  feet  high  by  nearly  seven  feet 
wide.    The  figures  are  under  life  size. 

'PORTRAITOFAPOET*  PLATEX 

FORMERLY  ascribed  to  Titian,  this  portrait  in  the  National  Gallery, 
London,  is  now  by  the  majority  of  authoritative  critics  conceded  to  be  by 
Palma  Vecchio — one  of  the  rare  existing  examples  of  his  portraits  of  men.  As 
to  the  identity  of  the  person  represented,  that,  as  well  as  the  authorship  of  the 
painting,  has  long  been  a  subject  of  controversy.  It  was  for  many  years  be- 
lieved to  be  a  portrait  of  the  celebrated  sixteenth-century  Italian  poet  Ariosto, 
but  a  comparison  of  the  face  with  several  authenticated  likenesses  of  the  author 
of  'Orlando  Furioso'  proved  the  fallacy  of  such  a  theory.  Mr.  W.  Fred 
Dickes  considers  that  the  painting,  which  be  believes  to  be  not  by  Palma  but 
by  his  great  contemporary  Giorgione,  is  the  likeness  of  Prospero  Colonna,  a 
famous  captain  in  the  Italian  wars  of  the  sixteenth  century,  whose  portrait, 
preserved  in  several  early  engravings,  bears  a  strong  resemblance  to  the  so- 
called  poet  of  this  much-discussed  picture.  The  laurel  branches  forming  the 
background,  which  have  caused  the  mysterious  personage  here  represented 
to  be  regarded  as  a  poet,  might,  Mr.  Dickes  maintains,  be  interpreted  with 
equal  justice  as  the  emblem  of  a  victorious  soldier. 

The  dress  of  the  unknown  man,  be  he  poet  or  warrior,  is  crimson  and  pur- 
ple, and  over  one  shoulder  hangs  a  mantle  of  fur.  A  gold  chain  is  worn  around 
his  neck,  and  in  one  hand,  which  rests  upon  an  upright  book,  he  holds  a  rosary. 
His  hair  and  eyes  are  dark,  and  his  face  is  marked  by  a  dreamy  expression, 
more  indicative,  it  must  be  acknowledged,  of  poetic  feeling  than  of  martial 
fire.  The  drawing  and  modeling  are  admirable,  the  glowing  colors  and  deep 
shadows,  with  their  contrasting  high-lights,  testifying  to  the  influence  of 
Titian,  and  still  more  to  that  of  Giorgione. 

The  picture,  which  in  1857  was  transferred  from  panel  to  canvas,  measures 
about  two  feet  eight  inches  high  by  two  feet  wide. 

A    LIST    OF    THE    PRINCIPAL    PAINTINGS    BY    PALMA    VECCHIO 
WITH    THEIR    PRESENT    LOCATIONS 

AUSTRIA-HUNGARY.  Budapest  Gallery:  Madonna  with  St.  Francis— Vienna, 
Xx.  Imperial  Gallery:  Jolin  tlie  Baptist;  The  Visitation;  Mailtmna  and  Saints  ('Santa 
Conversazione')  J  Lucrezia;  Violante  (Plate  vi);   Five  Portraits  ot  Women;  Portrait  ot  an 

[82] 


PALMA     VECCHIO  41 

Old  Man — Vienna,  Liechtenstein  Gallery:  Holy  Family  and  Saints  ('Santa  Conver- 
sazione')—  ENGLAND.  Alnwick,  Duke  of  Northumberland's  Collection:  Por- 
trait of  a  Lady  with  a  Lute  —  Cambridge,  Fitzvvilliam  Museum:  Venus  and  Cupid  — 
Canford,  Lord  Wimborne's  Collection:  Portrait  of  a  Lady  —  Hampion  Court, 
Royal  Gallery:  Portrait  of  a  Lady;  Madonna  and  Saints  ('Santa  Conversazione')  — 
Horsmonden,  Owned  by  Mrs.  Austen:  Portrait  of  a  Woman  —  London,  National 
Gallery:  Portrait  of  a  Poet  (Plate  x)  —  London,  Owned  by  R.  H.  Benson,  Esg:  Ma- 
donna and  Saints  ('Santa  Conversazione') — London,  Owned  by  Wyckham  Flower, 
Esy:  Madonna  and  Saints  ('Santa  Conversazione')  —  London, Own  ED  by  Ludwig  Mond, 
Es^:  Portrait  of  a  Woman  —  FRANCE.  Chantilly,  Conde  Museum:  Madonna  with 
Saints  and  Donor  (?)  —  Paris,  Louvre:  Adoration  of  the  Sliepherds  (Plate  ix);  Holy  Fam- 
ily and  St.  John  —  Paris,  Collection  of  M.  Alphonse  de  Rothschild:  Portrait  of  a 
Lady  (Plate  viii)  —  GERMANY.  Berlin  Gallery:  Portrait  of  a  Man;  Two  Portraits 
of  Women  —  Brunswick  Museum:  Adam  and  Eve — Dresden,  Royal  Gallery:  Ma- 
donna with  St.  Catherine  and  St.  John  (Plate  ii);  The  Three  Sisters  (Plate  v);  Venus;  The 
Meeting  of  Jacob  and  Rachel  (Plate  iii);  Holy  Family  with  Saints  ('Santa  Conversazione') 

—  Hamburg,  Owned  by  Consul  Weber:  The  Annunciation — Munich  Gallery: 
Madonna  with  St.  Roch  and  Mary  Magdalene;  Portrait  of  Palma  Vecchio  (see  page  22) 

—  ITALY.  Bergamo  Gallery,  Lochis  Collection:  Madonna  with  St.  John  and 
Mary  Magdalene  —  Dossena,  Church:  Altar-piece  —  Florence,  Uffizi  Gallery: 
Judith  —  Genoa,  Brignole-Sale  Collection:  Madonna  with  St.  John  and  Mary  Mag- 
dalene—  Milan,  Brera  Gallery:  St.  Helena,  St.  Constantine,  St.  Roch,  and  St.  Sebas- 
tian; Adoration  of  the  Magi  (in  part)  —  Milan,  Poldi-Pezzoli  Museum:  Portrait  of  a 
Woman  —  Modena,  Owned  by  Marchese  Lotario  Rangoni:  Madonna  and  Saints — 
Naples  Museum:  Madonna  with  Saints  and  Donors  ('Santa  Conversazione')  (Plate  vii)  — 
Peghera,  Church:  Altar-piece  —  Rome,  Borghese  Gallery:  Lucrezia;  Madonna, 
Saints,  and  Donor  ('Santa  Conversazione') — Rome,  Capitoline  Gallery:  Christ  and 
the  Adulteress— Rome,  Colonna  Gallery:  Madonna  with  St.  Peter  and  Donor — 
RoviGO,  Palazzo  Comunale:  Madonna  with  St.  Helena  and  St.  Jerome  —  Serina, 
Church:  Altar-piece  —  Venice,  Academy:  St.  Peter  Enthroned;  Christ  and  the  Adul- 
teress; Assumption  of  the  Virgin;  Madonna  with  St.  Catherine  and  St.  John — Venice, 
GiovANELLi  Palace:  Sposalizio  (fragment  of  an  altar-piece)  —  Venice,  Owned  by  Lady 
Layard:  Knight  and  Lady  (a  fragment) — Venice,  Church  of  Santa  Maria  Formosa: 
Altar-piece  with  St.  Barbara,  four  other  Saints,  and  a  Pleta  (see  Plate  i)  —  Venice,  Quirini- 
Stampalia  Gallery:  Portrait  of  a  Man;  Unfinished  portrait  of  a  Woman  —  Vicenza, 
Church  of  San  Stefano:  Madonna  with  St.  Lucy  and  St.  George  (Plate  iv)  —  Zerman 
Gallery:  Madonna  Enthroned  with  Saints  —  RUSSIA.  St.  Petersburg,  Leuchten- 
BURG  Gallery:   Madonna  and  Saints  ('Santa  Conversazione'). 


^alma  Wecci)to  33tiliograpi)p 

A  list  of    the  principal  books  and   magazine  articles 
dealing   with   palma   vecchio 

SIGNOR  LOCATELLI'S  'Notizie  intorno  a  Giacomo  Palma  il  Vecchio'  (Bergamo, 
1890),  Dr.  Rosenberg's  'Jacopo  Palma  der  Aeltere,'  in  the  Dohme  Series  (Leipsic, 
1879),  notices  of  the  painter  and  his  works  in  Morelli's  'Italian  Painters'  (London,  1893), 
and  a  chapter  devoted  to  him  in  Crowe  and  Cavalcaselle's  'History  of  Painting  in  North 
Italy'  (London,  1871)  may  be  mentioned  as  helpful  in  a  study  of  Palma  Vecchio.  The 
recent  researches  of  Dr.  Gustav  Ludwig,  published  in  the  'Beiheft'  of  the  'Jahrbuch  der 
K6niglich  preussischen  Kunstsammlungen '  for  1903,  are  valuable  in  throwing  some  addi- 
tional light  upon  the  little-known  history  of  this  painter. 

[83] 


42  MASTERSINART 

THE  ANONIMO.  Notes  on  Pictures  and  Works  of  Art:  Trans,  by  Paolo  Mussi. 
Edited  by  G.  C.  Williamson.  London,  1903 — Berenson,  B.  Venetian  Painters  of 
the  Renaissance.  New  York,  i  897  —  Blanc,  C.  Histoire  des  pcintres  de  toutes  les  ecoles: 
ecole  venitienne.  Paris,  1868 — BoscHiM,  M.  Le  niinere  della  pittura  veneziana.  Ven- 
ice, 1664  —  Brinton,  S.  The  Renaissance  in  Italian  Art.  London,  1898  —  BuRCK- 
HARDT,  J.  Der  Cicerone.  Leipsic,  1898  —  Cartwrioht,  J.  Christ  and  His  Mother  in 
Italian  Art.  London,  1897  —  Crowe,  J.  A.,  and  Cavai.caselle,  G.  B.  History  of 
Painting  in  North  Italy.  London,  1871  —  FoRNONi,  E.  Notizie  biographiche  su  Palma 
Vecchio.  Bergamo,  1886  —  Gronau,  G.  Palma  Vecchio  (in  Bryan's  Dictionary  of 
Painters  and  Engravers).  London,  1904 — Knackfuss,  H.,  and  Zim.mermann,  M.  G. 
Allgemeine  Kunstgcschichte.  Leipsic,  1900  —  Kugler,  F.  T.  The  Italian  Schools  of 
Painting:  Revised  by  A.  H.  Layard.  London,  1900  —  KuHN,  P.  A.  Allgemeine  Kunst- 
Geschichte.  Einsiedcln,  1891  ^/ /^-y  — Lanzi,  L.  History  of  Painting  in  Italy.  London, 
1828  —  Locatelli,  p.  Notizie  intorno  a  Gi-acomo  Palmo  il  Veccliio  ed  alle  sue  pitture. 
Bergamo,  1890  —  Logan,  M.  Guide  to  the  Italian  Pictures  at  Hampton  Court.  London, 
1894 — MoRELLi,  G.  Italian  Painters:  Trans,  by  Constance  Jocelvn  Ffoulkes.  London, 
1893 — MuNTZ,  E.  Histoire  de  I'art  pendant  la  Renaissance.  Paris,  1891-95 — Phil- 
IPPI,  A.  Die  Kunst  der  Renaissance  in  Italien.  Liepsic,  1897  —  Reber,  F.  von.  Ge- 
schichte  der  Malerei.  Munich,  1894  —  RiDOLFi,  C.  Le  maraviglie deli' arte.  Padua,  1835 
—  Rio,  A.  F.  Depart  chretien.  Paris,  1861 — Rosenberg,  A.  Jacopo  Palma  der 
Aeltere  (in  Dohme's  Kunst  und  Kimstler,  etc.)  Liepsic,  1879 — Schaeffer,  E.  Die  Frau 
in  der  venezianischen  Malerei.  Munich,  1899  —  Tassi,  F.  M.  Vite  de'  pittori,  scultori 
e  architetti  Bergamaschi.  Bergamo,  1793  —  Vasari,  G.  Lives  of  the  Painters.  New  York, 
1897 — Wessely,  J.  E.  Khssiker  der  Malerei.  Liepsic,  1882  —  WoltmaNN,  A.,  and 
Woermann,  K.  History  of  Painting:  Trans,  by  Clara  Bell.  New  York,  1895 — Zanetti, 
A.M.    Della  pittura  veneziana.     Venice,  1771. 

MAGAZINE    ARTICLES 

ARTE  E  STORIA,   1888:   E.  Fornoni;  II  cognome  e  la  patria  di  Palma  Vecchio  — 
.  JaHRBUCH   DKR  KoNlGLICH   PREUSSISCHEN   KuNS  ISAM  MLUNGLN,    I9OI:    G.   Ludwig; 

Bonifazio  di  Pitati  da  Verona,  eine  archivalische  Untersuchung.  1903  (Beiheft):  G.  Lud- 
wig; Archlvalische  Beitrage  zur  Geschichte  der  venezianischen  Malerei  —  Magazine  OF 
Art,  1893:  W.  F.  Dickes;  The  Portrait  of  a  Poet  —  Portfolio,  1892:  W.  Armstrong; 
Violante  —  Zeitschrift  fur  bildende  Ki'Nst,  1868:  G.  F.  Waagen;  Meisterwerke  der 
Braunschweiger  Galerie.     1879:   A.  Ro.senhcrg;  Der  Altar  der  heiligen  Barbara. 

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MASTERS    IN    ART 


|v>iil 


o      o 


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Two  Books  for 

The  Home  Builder 


American  Country  Houses 

A  LARGE  special  number  of  77y  Architectural  Review  published  primarilv  for 
those  who  intend  building  artistic  homes  and  wish  to  study  a  collection  of  the  best 
examples  of  recent  domestic  architecture.  To  this  number  about  fift  v  leading  Amer- 
ican architects  have  each  contributed  plans,  photographs,  and  a  description  of  one  house, 
selected  for  its  artistic  and  individual  character.  There  are  articles  on  The  Changing 
Styles  of  Country  Houses,  by  Robt.  D.  Andrews,  English  Country  Houses,  by  H. 
Langford  Warren,  Professor  of  Architecture  at  Harvard  University,  L'Art  Nouveau,  bv 
C.  Howard  Walker,  and  Plastered  Houses,  by  Claude  Layette  Bragdon.  The  number 
is  beautifully  printed  and  contains  over  3  50  illustrations. 

"  The  Architectural  Rcv'teiu  has  been  consistently  the  best  architectural  periodical  in  the  country,  drawing 
its  material  from  the  designs  of  men  of  the  highest  standing  in  the  profession,  and  recording  in  its  text  and 
plates  the  steady  improvement  in  its  architecture. 

"  It  has  itself  done  much  towards  this  improvement  by  the  high  character  it  has  maintained  in  the  face  of 
many  difficulties,  often  at  the  sacrifice  of  profits." — A'.    T.  Ei'cning  Post. 

112   pages,  II  X  14   in.,   paper  covers.  $2.00;    green   buckram,  gold   lettering,   $3.00 
Special  Circular  on  Request 

American  Gardens 

ITALIAN  and  English  gardens  have  been  well  illustrated  in  numerous  publications, 
but  American  garden-owners  have  found  with  disappointment  that  the  suggestions 

these  foreign  examples  could  offer  for  garden  design  in  this  country  were  limited, 
since  many  ot  their  greatest  beauties  were  dependent  upon  the  use  of  alien  plants  and 
trees  and  on  surroundings  which  could  not  here  be  reproduced.  It  has  become  evident 
that  the  American  garden  must  be  an  indigenous  product;  and  to  the  solution  of  the 
problem  many  architects,  as  well  as  scores  of  non-professional  garden-lovers,  have  set 
themselves  with  results  that  will  be  a  delightful  astonishment  to  those  who  do  not  know 
what  has  been  accomplished. 

With  the  aim  of  making  these  examples  accessible,  all  the  most  excellent  American 
private  gardens,  old  (Colonial)  and  new,  have  been  especially  photographed,  and  re- 
produced in  this  book.  It  contains  227  charming  illustrations,  showing  in  detail  61 
gardens,  together  with  plans  of  46  of  the  most  notable  examples. 

"  For  the  sake  of  this   publication  the  country  "  Quite  apart  fi-om  the  beauty  of  the  volume,  and 

has  been  carefully  searched  for  its  finest  gardens.  our  priiic  in   finding   so  much   to  admire  in   the 

Excellent  photographs  of  these,  well  reproduced,  work  of  American  designers  of  gardens,  there  arc 

give  a  most  lucid  idea  of  the  present  state  of  garden  valuable  lessons  to  be  drawn  from   it  by  all  who 

design  among  us." — The  Nation,  Neiv  Tori.  Iiave,  or  hope  to  have,  gardens  nf  their  own."  — 

Boiluti  I'r.iriurifil . 

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THEY  are  not  copies,  but  originals  by  master  designers  and 
carried  to  completion  under  the  most  favorable  condi- 
tions. Our  effort  is  not  alone  to  secure  excellence  of  design, 
but  to  blend  therewith  construction  worthy  of  the  conception 
which  it  sets  forth.  Each  year  arouses  a  wider  and  wider  de- 
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It  Has  Taught  me  all  that  a  Teacher  Could  Have  Taught, —  How  to  Begin  Right,  How  to 
Avoid  Difficulties,  and  the  'Tricks  of  the  Trade.'" 

CHARLES  D.  MAGINNIS 

INLY  practice  will  make  an  accomplished  pen-draughtsman  ;  but  this  little 
treatise  teaches  whatever  can  be  taught  of  the  art;  namely,  how  to  practise, 
what  "style"  is,  and  how  to  attain  it,  what  pens,  inks,  and  papers  have 
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iiuerestingly  and  clearly.  With  this  treatise  at  his  elbow  the  draughtsman  can 
make  most  valuable  use  of  his  spare  minutes. 

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MASTERS    IN    MUSIC 


The  aristocrat  of  musical  pablications.  This  most  excellent  magazine  should  he  in  ever) 

—  Times,  Hamilton,  Ont.        music-lover's  library,  for  it  is  without  doubt  the 

The  idea  is  happily  conceived  and  finely  exe-  best  woik  of  the  kind  yet  citabiished.— TAr  fArr/-/- 
cuted.  —  Musical  Record  and  Reuieiu.  "or,  Omalia,  Neb. 

It  promises  to  be  a  tremendous  help  to  all  lovers  Evidently  designed  to  fill  a  want  in  musical  ed- 

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Wis.  the  examj>Ls  are  progressive  and  well  chosen. 

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Chicago,  1)1.  student  of  nuisic  will  find  it  to  be  a  condensation 

Without  exception  the  finest  publication  ot  the  tif  all  that  it  is  desirable  to  know  concerning  one 
kind  th.-^t  has  ever  c(nr.t  to  our  attention.  —  Tfie  of  tiie  great  composers. — Sunday  Courier,  Biit- 
Cadenxa.  f.ilo,  N.  \' . 

'  Masters  in  Music '  treats  of  the  great  composers  as  '  Masters  in  Art '  does  of  the  great  painters 

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pictuce-XiGbtinG 

Is  in  Itself  an  Art. 

Fine  paintings  arc  often  &poiled  by  incffcctire 
or  poor  lighting. 

C 

Slie  iFamou0  ifrinb  ^^fiftem 

is  being  used  in  a  large  niAnbcr  of  the  finest 
galleries  in  the  country,  and  by  a  great  many 
prominent  collectors.  Covers  the  pictures  with 
a  strong,  ev^n  light;  no  glare  in  the  eyes, 
spots  on  the  picture  sj  ace. 

an  3H>fal  itia^t 

We  have  made  a  special  study  of  picture- light- 
ing, and  are  prepared  to  givjd^ou  the  best  re- 
sults attainable.  Galleries,  im%idual  collec- 
tions or  paintings  sucflfcssfully  lighted.  Inves- 
tigation invited. 

C 

I.  P.  FRINK, 

551  Pearl  Street,  New  York  City. 


You  Cannot  Study  Art 

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know.  Each  tcriet  >•  accom- 
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Embracing  a  line  of  Art  subjects  mcMt  comprehensively 
representing  both  European  and  American  Art  —  an- 
tique and  tTiuoern. 

You  Will  Find  Here  Exclusive  Tilings 

Not  to  be  found  in  the  ordinary  channelii  of  Art  trade, 
and  a  great  variety,  including  many  familiar  subjects,  but 
so  charmingly  handled  in  the  reproduction  as  to  make 
the  old  new,  more  fascinating,  and  more  to  be  desired. 

We    make   a  specialty  of    Hand-Illutnined 

Scoke  Cards,  Dedication  Cards,  Dinner 

Menus,  etc.,  of  exquisite  design 

We  are  always  willing  to  submit  a  selection  of  our 
work  "on  approval"  by  express,  prepaid. 
A  Full  Equipment  for  Students  in  The  Trav- 
elers' Art  Club 

THE    CHAFFEE    STUDIO 


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